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Italian unleavened sweet bread From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The pizza dolce di Beridde (lit. 'sweet pizza of Beridde'), also known as the pizza ebraica (lit. 'Hebrew pizza')[1] or diamanti romani (lit. 'Roman diamonds'),[2] is an unleavened sweet bread associated with the city of Rome, in the Lazio region of Italy. This traditional dessert is prepared by the Roman Jewish community on the occasion of a Brit milah (ceremony of circumcision).[3]
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| Alternative names | Pizza ebraica, diamanti romani |
|---|---|
| Type | Sweet bread |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Rome |
| Main ingredients | Flour, sugar, almonds, candied fruits, raisins, pine nuts, olive oil, white wine |
The name pizza is here to be understood not in the recent meaning that has spread into Italian through the Neapolitan language, but in the original Medieval Latin meaning of 'focaccia',[4] and thus suggests, as in the case of the Easter pizza, an ancient origin of the dish. The term pizza in Medieval Latin is first attested in 966 in Naples and in 997 in Gaeta, and was also used to designate ceremonial foods cooked for Easter such as Easter pizzas.[5] Similar preparations (pizza alla rustica, pizza di ricotta) are reported in early 19th century cookery manuals such as Vincenzo Agnoletti's.[6]
The cake's appellation Beridde derives from the Judeo-Roman form of the word Brit milah ('covenant of circumcision' in Hebrew), i.e. the ritual circumcision of male infants in the community.[7]
The origins of the dish are obscure, but the cake may have been brought to Rome by Spanish Jews who were driven out of Spain in 1492[8] or by those expelled from Sicily in 1493.[9] This would explain that the ingredients include nuts, sultanas and candied fruit, typical of the cuisine in Muslim countries.
The pizza ebraica was reportedly Pope Benedict XVI's favorite dessert.[10][8]
The main ingredients of the bread, which contains neither eggs nor yeast, are flour, sugar, almonds (both whole and ground), raisins, candied fruit (usually candied citron), olive oil or other vegetable oil, white wine and pine nuts.[2][11]
The ingredients are mixed together with wine and lukewarm oil, kneading them to form a type of soft sweet pastry dough that must not stick to the hands.[12] This is rolled out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 2 cm (0.79 in), cut into lozenges[2] or rectangles[7] (the former are called diamanti), and baked in a very hot oven until a crust forms on the surface, while the inside must remain soft.[13]
A lozenge of the cake is traditionally given to each participant of the circumcision feast at the end of the ceremony.[9] It is contained in a bag of sweets called kavodde,[14] which means 'dignity' in Hebrew and symbolises the commandment to honour one's father and mother.[15]
In addition to being prepared in families for the feast of circumcision, pizza di Beridde is sold by kosher bakeries such as the Pasticceria Boccione in the Roman Ghetto (in Sant'Angelo rione),[3][7] along with other traditional Jewish sweets, such as ricotta and sour cherry tart and mostaccioli.[10]
Media related to Pizza dolce di Beridde at Wikimedia Commons
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